"Young Master Lan, it's been a long time!" Qin San Niang stepped forward and curtsied.
This is a sugar daddy, he's got plenty of money! And his thought process is quite peculiar, she'll have to be careful serving him!
Sure enough, Lan Yao was quite happy to see that Qin San Niang remembered him. At home, his two older brothers were the center of attention, and ordinary people would overlook him!
Well, this kid is lacking love and attention!
Looking down, he saw that the stall was filled with goods he didn't recognize. Was this from Kyoto? He'd never seen them before. Maybe he'd never paid attention to women's cosmetics?
"What is Madam Qin selling? It looks like business is booming!"
"Please excuse my poor appearance. These are gloves and earmuffs, used to keep warm. I hope to sell them for some money so I can settle down sooner."
Qin San Niang didn't say it was a style from Kyoto, but she knew that Lan Yao came from Kyoto and had traveled extensively, so it was best not to give anything away!
Lan Yao examined it carefully, especially the ear warmers with piping and rabbit fur trim. He was surprised. Although the workmanship was average, the ingenuity of the design was remarkable. They were perfect for warming ears in winter!
Even when worn inside a cloak, it doesn't take up much space, and most importantly, it looks good!
I thought to myself, Madam Qin is no ordinary woman; you can tell from her previous recipe for beggar's chicken.
After reading it, I picked up the gloves and tried them on. I realized that these things are for warming hands and they don't interfere with work, which is good!
How could those blushing young ladies possibly buy anything he'd tried on? They all looked at him shyly. The thoughts gleaming in their eyes were obvious to Qin San Niang.
Unfortunately, the falling flowers were willing but the flowing water was indifferent. Lan Yao, looking completely at ease, was focused on the gloves and earmuffs.
The servant next to him was observant; seeing that his young master had touched everything, he picked it up to pay the bill.
Qin San Niang was finally relieved to see this. She had been a little anxious, thinking, "Why don't you just leave? You're interfering with my business. How are these female customers supposed to buy anything if you're parading around like this?"
However, seeing the servant's behavior, she was no longer in a hurry! Alright, let's try it, what difference does it make who we sell it to?! It's better to try more.
“Young Master Lan, it’s rare that such crude things have caught your eye. Take a look at this. This is for young masters and gentlemen. Although it’s made of cotton, the workmanship is quite good.” As she spoke, Qin San Niang took out men’s ear warmers and gloves from her basket. There were some left over, but she hadn’t had time to take them out since they were all female guests.
"Oh? Is that so?" Lan Yao raised an eyebrow. He had just thought that Madam Qin's business was not doing a good job! This thing should be separated for men and women, but he didn't expect her to bring it out for him so quickly. Well, let's just pretend she didn't say anything!
The embroidery on the gloves is not bad, but the cotton material is not top-notch. It's okay to sell to ordinary people, but for a family like theirs, it's not worth it. Silk or satin would be better.
However, none of this prevented him from discovering a business opportunity. He thought of the embroidery workshop in his mother's dowry, which was located in Jiangzhou and was now in a state of half-dead. So he decided to give it a try, even if it seemed hopeless!
"Madam Qin, after these ladies finish their shopping, I'll buy all your gloves and earmuffs. How about we meet at the teahouse across the street, Madam Qin?"
A shrewd glint appeared in his phoenix eyes. He believed that when talking to intelligent people, there was no need to spell things out too clearly; those who understood would understand.
Hearing him say that, she knew it must be about business, so Qin San Niang nodded, indicating that she would accept the offer.
Seeing that he agreed, Lan Yao leisurely walked towards the teahouse across the street. The tea here was good, and there were also private rooms on the second floor, which was perfect for plotting!
The servant following behind was getting anxious. His master and young master were notoriously difficult to deal with, and they were lawless at home, but at least the master and the two eldest sons could keep them in check. Now that they were out here, weren't they just running wild?!
In the beginning, the mistress had him follow the young master with the intention of keeping an eye on his whereabouts and preventing him from doing anything in special circumstances. Although he happily agreed on the surface, heaven knows how much torment he was going through inside! There was nothing he could do about it; the young master wouldn't listen to any advice, which really worried him to death!
These past few days, I've been traveling with Lan Yao from Dingyuan. We've gotten into all sorts of trouble along the way, stopping and starting constantly, and I almost lost half my life on the road.
In just half a month, he felt like he was about to die young. This guy finally arrived in Jiangzhou City safely. He just hoped that he could cause less trouble in the future, otherwise he would lose his life here sooner or later.
"Young master, that woman is just a country bumpkin. Why are you so patronizing her business?" the servant asked softly.
This master also has his good points; he treats his servants with great kindness, which is why he dared to ask such a question. If it were any other master, he would never have uttered a sound, no matter what.
"Fu Lu, do you know why our Drunken Immortal Pavilion in Dingyuan came back to life?" Hearing his question, Lan Yao did not ignore him because he was a servant, but instead asked leisurely.
Who doesn't know that? It's all because of beggar's chicken!
"I don't know that it was because of the young master that he found the secret recipe for beggar's chicken from the scholar and sold it in the restaurant during the festival, which made the restaurant popular again and this dish has become our family's signature dish!"
Fu Lu spoke eloquently, explaining that nowadays, anyone who comes to Zuixianlou will definitely order this beggar's chicken, and some people are even willing to queue for two or three hours just to taste this delicacy.
Thinking about this, he felt that following the young master might not be a bad idea after all.
Fu Lu is eighteen years old this year, about the same age as Lan Yao. He is a servant of the Lan family. His father has followed the Lan family head, Lan Que, for decades and is now the chief steward of the Lan family.
To be honest, although Fulu was a servant, he was like a master among the servants, thanks to his father's extraordinary position in the mansion.
Fu Lu's father agreed with and strongly supported his decision to follow Lan Yao, telling him to serve this young master well, as his future prospects were limitless.
Although Fu Lu wasn't happy, everyone knew that the future head of the Lan family would be the eldest son, and even following the second son would guarantee a bright future. Why let him follow the most favored but incompetent youngest son? Although he could live a life of comfort, he probably couldn't become any better than others, since he still harbored ambitions to surpass his father!
He lowered his head, picked up the teacup in front of him, blew on it lightly, skimmed off the foam, and took a sip. The tea tasted just so-so! It wasn't even as good as the tea he had at the small tea house in Kyoto.
Lan Yao frowned in disgust, and Fu Lu quickly went over to get some more water, awaiting his reprimand.
"That's right, but do you know where I got this beggar's chicken?"
Fu Lu wasn't stupid; he knew that if he asked that question again, it must be related to the previous topic, but that couldn't be, could it? Could it be related to this woman?
"Young master, are you saying that this woman is the reclusive master you were talking about??" Fu Lu's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief!
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